It's a Coincidence, Right?
by liondancer17
Summary: Ronald Knox is sent on a mission to open relations with nations, and to also investigate the death of one several years ago. He soon finds himself caught up in the mystery of the death of America. It's just a coincidence, right?
1. Chapter 1

A/N

Oh my. I now have…what is it now? Fifteen stories? (Though, to be fair, many are one-shots.)But this idea just smacked me on the head one night. I am a slave to my muse, I swear. I wonder how much more delay this will put on my lesser stories…

Whatever. I just hope you guys will like this.

Disclaimer: Do I even have to say it? Fine. I don't own either franchise.

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(Ronald Knox POV)

The rain came down heavy and fast, obscuring most of the city around him. He sighed, pushing his glasses further up his nose, and running a hand through his hair. Why did it have to rain _today_ of all days? Great, now he was going to be late for his meeting. William was going to be so pissed.

"Um, excuse me ma'am?" he called out, stopping a woman. She paused, and turned around to face him. Thankfully, she was holding an umbrella, and he smiled at the brief moment of relief from the downpour.

"What is it, sir?" the woman asked. Ronald dug into his pocket, and produced a slip of paper. It showed an address for a human he was supposed to investigate. The woman read it, and a look of understanding crossed her face.

"Oh! Well, you're a little bit away, aren't you?" she asked, laughing. "There's a bus station just down the street. Take it until the first stop, and then get off. The place you're looking for will be just around the corner." Ronald nodded, scribbling the instructions down. Damn…now he was definitely going to be late. He thanked the woman, who smiled at him, and walked away. He shoved the address into his pocket, and followed the street until he reached the bus station the woman mentioned. He payed the fair, and got on, taking a seat next to a man with blonde hair. The man payed him no attention and instead stared out the window, watching the rain. They both sat in silence for a moment, but Ronald decided to make conversation.

"Where are you going?" Ronald asked the man. The man jumped, and faced Ronald. His eyes widened, and shock filled his face. Ronald was confused. What the heck? Humans normally don't act like _this_ when he talks to them. Hell, he just talked to a human a few minutes ago. Why did this man look like Ronald had just attempted to collect his soul?

"Um, what's wrong?" Ronald asked. The man seemed to snap out of it, and he shook his head.

"Nothing. What was the question?" he asked. Ronald decided to ignore the moment of awkwardness, and answered.

"I was just asking where you're going." He replied. It was then that Ronald noticed what the man was carrying. It was several binders and books. Many of the books were worn, and they all hide titles in different languages. Ronald recognized several as English, French, and German. Perhaps the man was a student? No, he looked much too old, maybe he was a teacher…

"Are you listening?" the man asked, snapping Ronald out of his thoughts. He jumped. The man was staring at him intently now, as if trying to figure out something. Ronald kind of regretted starting a conversation now. The bus pulled to a stop, and Ronald stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get off now. What's your name?" He asked. He still hadn't figured out why the man seemed shocked to see him. Maybe he could report the man's name to his assistant later, and she could figure out who this guy was.

"Ludwig." The man replied. "My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt." He replied. Ronald turned around, and jumped off the bus, completely missing the man's request for his name.

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Shinigami were creatures outside of time, not bound to it as mortals are. It was no surprise that they weren't the only beings who could do this. Demons and angels were the first other creatures that came to mind, but there were several hundreds more, ghosts, hell hounds, but the most mysterious and secretive were the nations. They lived as humans, but they were creatures outside of time. They could live thousands of years, as long as the earth itself if a country could last that long. They didn't interact with other beings, which naturally lead to suspicion. With the death of the United States of America, many nations drew deeper into seclusion, cutting of interaction with other beings. The only one who seemed to have _any_ kind of connection lately was General Winter, but he didn't ever talk about his time in Russia. To finally settle this growing suspicion, the shinigami decided to set up a meeting between Ronald Knox and a nation who seemed to be willing to open up again, the Federal Republic of Germany.

Ronald burst into the meeting room, dripping wet. He smiled as he entered, trying to make a good impression on 'Germany.' His smile fell, however, as he saw who 'Germany' was.

"Hey! It's you!" he cried out, pointing an accusing finger at Germany. Germany blinked in surprise, apparently also surprised at the shinigami representative.

"Oh, so you're the shinigami." Germany replied, standing up. He crossed the room, stopping right in front of Ronald. He held out his hand.

"I never caught your name. What is your name?" he asked Ronald. Ronald took his hand and shook it, deciding to ignore his earlier impression, and to just simply do his job.

"I'm the next reaper, Ronald Knox, to die!" he announced. Maybe his catchphrase would work better with nations!

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A/N yes! It's done!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N

I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I was battling writer's block, school, and other fanfics. I hope you guys like! I'm sorry if any seem OOC, but this is my first time writing Kuroshitsuji, so I'm not really used to it…

Disclaimer: I don't own either franchise.

Xxx(Ronald Knox's POV)xxX

Silence reigned in the room for a whole minute, before Roald finally lowered his hands in defeat. He really did have to ask for his friend to make a new one.

"Alright, so what was it death gods wanted to know about nations?" Germany asked, sitting back down behind his desk again. Ronald noticed the way he held himself, very uptight, rigid, and in control. It kind of reminded him of the way William always held himself.

"Well, they sent me to be a representative. I finished my death list early, and they thought I would make friends easy." He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Mostly, they want you guys to open up. You have to admit, it's kind of suspicious to have beings who can live for _thousands_ of years, and can't be killed unless their nations fall running around." The moment he mentioned the death of a nation, Germany flinched, and his icy eyes narrowed slightly. Ronald immediately realized his mistake.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-"he started.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Germany replied, waving his hand. Ronald fell back into his chair. This was one of the things he had been told to ask about, but Germany's reaction wasn't very reassuring. Still…he didn't want to disappoint his superiors.

"Hey…do you mind if I ask a few questions about America's death?" Ronald asked. Germany's face went blank, but he nodded.

"You may, but I don't know how many I can answer." He replied. He seemed even more controlled than before, and Ronald was starting to fear that he might have asked too much. However, he continued anyway.

"Well, there haven't been many records on America. In fact, his body and soul were never recovered. The only record of him that exists is just basic information, name, race, birth-date, death-date, and other things like that. His soul was never recovered, even when we found his body. It's like he just vanished." Ronald said. Germany looked away, and his eyes narrowed. Ronald continued.

"I want to know about the details of his death. I want to know _why_ we weren't able to recover his soul and memories, even though _everything _living has both. Do you know anything about why that might be?" Ronald finished. Germany, for a moment, didn't reply. Than he looked up back up, his eyes briefly were flashing with some unseen emotion.

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer any of those questions. The last nation who died was the Holy Roman Empire, and I wasn't around to see it. You'd have to ask another, older nation."

"Does this mean other nations are willing to up? I'm sure that would help ease the tension, and make things a lot easier…" he replied, his voice trailing off at the end. Germany thought for a moment, and then he finally answered.

"I'm not sure….but I'll see if I can convince the others." He said. Ronald grinned brightly. He did it! He actually got the nations to open up! Standing up, he gripped Germany's hand enthusiastically.

"Thank you so much! Let me know when you want to talk again, okay?" he asked. Germany pulled his hand back, and nodded stiffly. Ronald noted that his eyes narrowed slightly, studying Ronald.

"Bye, Mr. Beilschmidt!" he called over his shoulder as he left. He could still feel the piercing, steely gaze on his back as he left the building.

Xxx(Time Lapse)xxX

Pushing his glasses further up his nose, he continued to search, his jade eyes jumping from one record to the other. Why were there so many people with the last name Jones…? His gloved finger trailed down the spines of books, searching. Maybe he'd overlooked something, there _had _to be something on a nation's death! He shifted on his knees, and continued to inspect the books. The library was almost completely empty, save for a few shinigami who had already finished their paperwork as well. William had, of course, dumped a load on him after he had returned, but he had managed to finish it early. After all, he had a lot of personal investigations to conduct, and he r_eally _wasn't in the mood to work overtime today.

'_Jones, T. Alain. Jones, Jones, M. Alan. Jones, R. Albert…'_ Of course a country had to pick a common first and last name. Ronald let out a soft sigh, and he felt his shoulders slump. It would take him _hours_ just to find the guy's name! He was so caught up in his distress that he didn't notice the approaching footsteps.

"Knox, what are you looking for?" a sharp voice asked behind him. He jumped, trying to stand up, then collapsing onto the floor, gripping his head and spitting out curses after his head made contact with the top shelf. He heard a snort of laughter above him. Sitting up, he glared at William.

"I'm looking for the records on America's death." He replied, barely able to keep the venom out of his voice. William gave him a mildly surprised look.

"Why are you looking for those? You've already read the reports. And from what you've told me, the nations know nothing more about his death then we do." William replied. Ronald sighed. William was right, of course. There was nothing he could be overlooking…but still.

"I know…but I still want to look at them again." He replied. William raised his eyebrows, but he didn't argue further.

"Well, we didn't file him under his human name, nor under humans in general, so you won't find him here." William said. "His file is in the very back, under 'other' in the 'A's." With that, William turned back, retreating out of the library. Ronald almost wanted to catch up and thank him, but he decided to do that later. Running to the back, he quickly scanned the 'A' shelf until he found America's records. He pulled the book off of the shelf and opened it. As he remembered, there wasn't much, just basic information. One thing caught his eye, though. On the very first picture was a picture. Laughter bubbled up in his chest.

'_He looks just like me!'_ Ronald thought, smiling. Indeed, America did, just with lighter hair and blue eyes. The former nation was even winking at the camera, and flashing a huge grin and a 'thumbs-up' sign, just like Ronald. After gazing at the picture for a few more minutes, Ronald went back to scanning the report.

Of course, he learned nothing else that he didn't know before, but that only intensified his curiosity. He _had _to know about the nation's life and death, and he knew where to begin.

The next time he meet with Germany, he was going to try and schedule a meeting with France.

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A/N Please review~!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

It's an update! Oh my God! XD

Well, I got quite a few questions (coughtwocough) about France. Well, France is the first nation I thought of for Ronald's little question. I suppose you could also use other nations, but France was just the first nation I thought of. *shrugs*

Anyway, now we get to the real plot! *rubs hands together* there's also a specific reason why I chose America. Why do I torture him so much if he's my favourite character…?

Disclaimer: I don't own either franchise.

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He rubbed the bridge of his nose unconsciously, and ran a gloved hand through his tussled hair, messing it up more than it already was. He turned on his heel once more, and continued pacing in front of the door.

Was he seriously going to do this? He had heard _stories_ about France. After he set up a meeting with the nation a week ago, he did all he could to learn about the nation. Germany decided a good time to warn Ronald would be _after _he made a meeting.

'_Bad timing my ass, this is some messed up form of __Schadenfreude!'_ he ranted to himself, once again adjusting his glasses. It probably was. After all, Prussia had begun barging in on their meetings. At first, Germany tried to get him to stop, but Ronald didn't mind. Prussia was pretty easy to get along with, and he made the meeting A LOT less awkward. Prussia offered to introduce him to the other nations, even take him to a world meeting, but Germany quickly shut the idea down. He called the entire thing a _'delicate situation'_, and said that they shouldn't risk tensions between nations and the rest of the immortal world getting worse.

Personally, Ronald didn't have any idea what the hell he was talking about. After all, wouldn't it be better to show trust…? He didn't object, though. He just reported it and decided to let the higher ups deal with it.

Finally, he stopped pacing and took a deep breath. Raising up his knuckles, he gave three light, quick raps on the door. Immediately, it flew open. A blonde man with shoulder-length wavy hair and light stubble was standing in the doorframe, leaning against it. He was dressed in a fancy black suit, and he was carrying a rose in one hand. A shiver ran down Ronald's spine, and he was suddenly assaulted by the image of Grell doing the _exact same thing_.

Maybe this was what Germany was talking about. Some people should just never meet face to face, especially when one considers the damage _two_ Grells could do…

For a second, France didn't move. His blue eyes widened, and something flashed in them, too quick for Ronald to catch. It was quickly gone, and the Frenchman smiled, throwing the screen door open and twirling the rose in his hand, deliberately making several petals fly at the shinigami.

"_Bonjour, mon ami_! You have finally decided to see me, and you will not be disappointed! Come in, come in! Make yourself at home!" he cried out cheerfully, holding the door open. Ronald walked inside, and let his jade eyes sweep over the room. It was like he suspected, beautiful, spacious, and old. Paintings adorned every wall, arranged artfully, expertly. Everything was beautiful, antique, and priceless. A large loveseat sat in the very center, and a table sat in the room behind it, leading to an enormous kitchen, one fit for a professional chef. But one thing caught his attention specifically.

An old painting, framed in gold, dominated the back wall. It wasn't large, but it caught his attention right away. The painting showed France dressed in an old uniform, a Napoleon uniform. His blue eyes were slightly narrowed, and his face was set in a calm, determined expression. In his hands was a sabre, gleaming slightly in the low light the picture portrayed. The sabre the picture showed was in a glass case just below the painting. Ronald walked forward, inspecting the painting. Rather than following, France walked into the kitchen, and Ronald heard the sound of dishes being moved.

"What did you want to see me about, _mon petit diable_?" France asked, his voice floating from the kitchen. Ronald's eyes traveled to the sabre, and he noted that the blade wasn't cleaned. There was…something on it. Blood, maybe?

"Well, I wanted to ask Germany about something, but he couldn't answer, so I thought you would be a good person to ask." Ronald replied. He didn't bother raising his voice. He heard a platter being set on the table, and the sound of wood against tile.

"Why don't you sit down?" France asked, gesturing to the seat. Ronald obliged, sitting down across from him, and reaching for a small canapé the nation had prepared. He popped the pastry in his mouth, swallowed, and began.

"Well, you do know the duties of a God of Death, right? When a person dies, we find that person, analyze their memories, and judge them to see if they should continue living." He started. Shock passed through the nation's eyes, and then he nodded.

"_Oui_, I am aware. What about it…?" He asked. Ronald popped another pastry in his mouth, wondering exactly how he should phrase his question.

"Well…it's not often a nation dies. When one does, we try our best to get their memories, and judge them…but we never didn't to find them. In fact, we don't have any records on the United States of America at all." He said. "I want to know how a person kills a nation."

"Why do you want to know that?" France asked. He was looking down at the table, several emotions swirling behind his eyes. Ronald took a breath. As a shinigami, it was his job to be cold and detached…

"Several reasons. If we missed him, we could find him. It could determine if we need to do it in any special way. Also…he could be alive."

France froze, though Ronald wasn't sure if that was the possibility that _the United States_ was alive, or the nation that the Frenchman happened to have killed…

"I killed him the way I would have killed a human _dieu de la mort_. I…I mean, first, my boss…he shot the boy. In the arm. And then he had him brought before me. He insisted that I be the one to kill him, he didn't know if it would work, having a human do it." He swallowed, lowering his head slightly. His wavy hair fell in his eyes, hiding them from Ronald.

"So…I used my sabre. I have always been a terrible shot, you see. I…stabbed him. I stabbed him in the chest, not in the heart, but close enough to be a fatal blow. Then I left…I couldn't take it. My boss later congratulated me, and he said that I did it, I dissolved the empire, and that I…killed him." For a minute, they sat in silence.

"Do you think that's what did it? That there wasn't any other way?" Ronald asked.

"_Oui_. I believe that is what happened." France replied. They were both quiet, Ronald mulling over the new information, while France didn't move at all.

"Alright…thank you, France. I think…I can find his records…" Ronald said. He stood up, ready to leave.

"_Mon petite_, be careful. I wouldn't want to see someone get hurt because of my mistakes."

xxxXXXxxx

"What do you mean 'it isn't there'?" William asked. Ronald flashed a nervous grin, and gave a soft laugh.

"Well…I looked for the Holy Roman Empire's records…but there was nothing there…" he replied. William's eyed flashed angrily.

"That is impossible; all the records are kept up to date in the up most perfect order!" he yelled. He was about to continue, but the door opened, and Grell peeked his head in. William spun and glared at Grell, who flinched, not expecting to be yelled at the moment he entered.

"YOU! What did you do this time?" he snapped. Grell laughed nervously.

"Do you mean about that stash of pictures I have in my desk? I swear, I didn't put them in there, it's-" but he was cut off by William, who seemed to not have heard. Or maybe he was just ignoring Grell. Ronald didn't blame him.

"You two, find them! You will not leave this library until those records are found!" William yelled, slamming the door behind him as he left the library.

Two hours passed, but nothing was found. They dived into the human section.

'_Beilschmidt, Ludwig.'_ He picked up the journal, and began flipping through it. On the very first page was the date '_962_'. He then flipped to the last page, the journal was unfinished. This person was still alive. He briefly scanned a few pages. Toward the middle of the journal, it was blank. Someone had put a bookmark in it, and then removed it later. It restarted again with the date '_18 January, 1871_'.

He stared at the book. This person was Germany, and…the Holy Roman Empire. That meant that France was wrong, a nation _couldn't_ be killed like a human…

So then…how did America die?

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A/N alright~! We finally got this chapter done! :D Please review~!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

It has been forever, I know. I'm sorry guys. TT^TT I'm so, so sorry. I really had zero inspiration for this. Zero ideas. I'm sorry.

Anyway, in answer to one reviewer's question, the bookmark basically stated that the life of HRE had stopped, then restarted. He was judged to be something that could remain in the world, which is part of a shinigami's job. So, he was marked, and then his life restarted. This, of course, ties in with the mystery of America's death, since he was never judged as fit to die.

Disclaimer: I don't own either franchise.

* * *

><p><em>Red was such a beautiful colour.<br>_

_Red was the colour of life itself. Of luxurious silk, of the delicious taste of blood. Red was the colour of fire, the all-consuming light that tore the world to pieces. Red was truth, red was the very essence of the soul. Blood was so simple, so beautiful, so filled with life. It was such a beautiful colour, something only the finest could wear. Red consumed the world, coating it in a blanket of truth and death. Death was so beautiful, so elegant, so final.  
><em>

_He **fucking loved** red. _

_**He** did not deserve to wear it. Red **WAS NOT **meant for **Him. **Red was a colour meant for **DEATH. ****HE **was too **FUCKING PATHETIC** for it!  
><em>

_He licked his lips as he smiled. He needed this. He needed red. He needed it too much. He laughed as he saw the look on **HIS** face. So **FUCKING PATHETIC. **_

_He laughed as he raised his sabre, coated in the delicious red silk of blood. _

_Red was so fucking beautiful. _

_Green eyes widened as metal hit skin. There was a delicious wet, tearing sound, the sound of bones crunching and flesh tearing. He laughed, watching as red spilled on his white gloves. _

_The man looked up at him, and his heart stopped._

_Green eyes, tears streaking his cheeks. Messy blonde hair, matted with the dark stain of blood, and a small stream of blood falling from his lips. _

_Ronald screamed. He screamed until his voice broke, and blood ran down his cheeks.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Okay, just follow the awesome me, and you can find a way in." Gilbert said. Ronald nodded, unable to keep the huge grin off his face. Prussia opened up a hatch in the grass, flashing a huge grin at the shinigami.<p>

"This is an emergency exit, in case of a fire or something. I don't think anyone has figured out that I use it. Well, maybe Luddy has, but I don't think he cares enough to block it. Anyway, just go through this tunnel with me, and we'll get to the meeting." Gilbert finished, giving a wide grin to the shinigami. Ronald grinned back, revving up his lawnmower.

"Dude, you are so awesome." Ronald replied. Gilbert laughed.

"Finally! Someone acknowledges the awesome me! You are equally awesome!" Gilbert replied, flashing a large grin at the shinigami. Ronald pressed his hand to his heart and pretended to swoon.

"Oh, recognition by the great and mighty Prussia! My life is complete now!" Ronald declared. Prussia beamed and punched Ronald in the arm.

"Al, you're such an asshole." Prussia replied. Ronald tilted his head.

"Al? No, Alan's another shinigami...how could you mix me up with him? I'm WAY more awesome than he is!" Ronald said. Gilbert fell silent, and realization hit Ronald.

"Oh...you mean America...since I look like him..." Ronald said, his voice soft. Then he cleared his throat and beat his chest in a gorilla-like fashion.

"YOU ARE GOING TO RIDE ME!" he suddenly declared. Prussia choked, immediately snapping out of his reverie.

"What the hell?!" he asked. Ronald flashed him a wide grin.

"Get on my back! We're taking my death scythe, it's much faster." he added. Prussia blinked, then cracked up.

"OOOOOOOOOH, I thought you meant the other way. I mean I know I'm awesome, but I didn't expect you to come onto me that fast!" Prussia exclaimed. Ronald rolled his eyes.

"As if! I only go for sexy people."

"I AM SEXY! AND AWESOME! AND SEXY AWESOME!"

Ronald laughed.

"Oh, so you DO want to ride me?" he asked. Prussia choked again, this time collapsing onto the dirt floor.

"OH HELL NO!"

"Then get your ass up and get on my back so we can get there!" Ronald yelled back. Prussia immediately got to his feet. Ten minutes of fighting about how to get on, and how to start the damn thing, as well as how close two men can get without being gay, they were off on their less-than-dignified ride to the world meeting.

* * *

><p>"THE AWESOME US HAS ARRIVED!" Ronald declared as he kicked the door clean off its hinges, sending it flying into the world meeting hall. Ronald stood there in all his God-Of-Death glory, the coattails of his jacket flying, a huge grin across his face, and revving up his lawnmower for extra fanfare.<p>

The entire meeting hall was in dead silence.

Ronald laughed, turning to Gilbert, who was striking a similar pose. The albino had his arms crossed, a deadly serious look on his face, unusual for him. His eyes glittered with mirth, and the sabre tucked under his arm added to the unusual look. He looked almost comical.

For a full five minutes, the hall was in silence. Ronald cleared his throat.

"I am Ronald Knox! I am the next reaper, 'TO DIE'!" he declared loudly, his voice echoing across the meeting hall. Again, this was followed by silence. Ronald was honestly starting to freak out.

There was the sudden sound of a chair scraping, and feet running. Ronald blinked, and he felt arms around him. He looked down. There was a man with dark black hair and brown eyes, hugging him tight.

"America.."

* * *

><p>AN Please review~!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N

Okay, we have finally returned.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

><p>(Ronald Knox's POV)<p>

"...Huh?" the shinigami asked, staring blankly down at the Japanese man.

He kind of liked Japan. They really understood the power of demons and gods of death.

...and, quite honestly, he liked being hugged, but NOT the kind that Grell always offered. Fuck no, he was NEVER letting his senpai grab his ass ever again. But being hugged like this? It was so...nice. William was so stuffy and constantly had a stick up his ass, and Alan...

_Alan..._

Well, he could think about that later. Right now, there was a (rather attractive) man hugging him, and he was surrounded by (rather attractive) men and women looking right at him like he was the most awesome thing in the world.

Oh yes.

He liked this.

...Grell was rubbing off on him. He should stay away.

(Mental note: "rubbing off" and "Grell" are never to be used in the same sentence EVER AGAIN.)

"America-kun! You're back! You're back, you're back!" The Japanese man cried out, snuggling himself deeper into the shinigami's chest. Around him, the other nations were beginning to stand up, and there was a melodious sound of scraping metal and wood all around. Japan unlatched himself from America, and stood back, bright red, as the other nations swarmed around him, all speaking at once.

"G-guys! I'm not-" Ronald desperately started, casting desperate glances around the room.

"A-America!" A redheaded boy with gold eyes and a curl on the side of his head started, jumping to his feet.

"Y-YOU BLOODY IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME **WORRY LIKE THIS?!**" An Englishman (Ronald was getting sick of English people and their constant _yelling_) with eyebrows that were just Not Natural snapped, his green eyes pricking with tears.

"A-Alfred? Is that...?" This time, it was a man with a mess of dirty-blonde hair that stood straight up from his head, sitting next to a boy with hollow, blue eyes and a cross in his blonde hair.

"_AMERIKA, YOU IDIOT!" _A terrifying platinum-blonde woman with a white ribbon in her hair screamed, slamming her hands on the table, almost to the point of breaking it.

"Wow...I didn't know that was possible..." A very tall man with a thick, Russian accent said, tilting his head and absently playing with his scarf.

"Guys...? I'm not-"

"ALFRED, I HATE YOU SO MUCH FOR LEAVING ME! YOU _BASTARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!_"

Ronald's jaw dropped when he saw who was talking to him.

It was a person who stood exactly his height, with exactly his build, and his _exact face_. The only real differences between the two were their hair colour, hair style, eye colour, and the type of glasses they wore.

Holy shit.

_Holy shit._

_That's-_

"_**EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"**_Germany suddenly yelled, slamming his hands onto the table. Ronald glanced at him, and almost burst out laughing when he saw how close the German was to an aneurysm.

He didn't, though.

Even if he wouldn't die, a beating by such a Manly Man would really, really hurt.

"The man you all see before you is NOT America. His name is Ronald Knox, and he is a representative of the realm of the Grim Reapers. He has come here for two reasons: he is to open relations with us, and to investigate the death of the United States." The way he said it was just...so somber, like he almost didn't want to say it.

Ronald had seen a lot of people dying before, it came naturally with the field, after all.

He had seen a lot of humans in denial. They were always the same. Either angry or cheerful about it, sometimes both.

But then, there was always that moment when they realized it was true. They were dead. And when that moment hit, they really died. The light really faded from their eyes, and there was nothing but dull, dead acceptance.

And that one moment was in the eyes of every nation there.

It was almost frightening, how _human _they all were. Every single other creature-reapers, angels, demons, hellhounds...-they were all not human. You could always tell by their aura, by their _indifference, _by the fact that they were all _sociopaths, _every single one. Grell, Sebastian, Claude, even Alan...they didn't really know what it was to _love. _They could form minor attachments to each other. They could care, they could be friends, but none of them knew what it was to _love. _Immortality didn't allow that. _Nature shouldn't allow it..._

But not them. Not the nations. They were so painfully _human..._

Subconsciously, Ronald found himself backing away, just a little bit, towards his lawn-death scythe. Death scythe. _Death scythe._

_It hurts. It hurts. Everything hurts. Stop it...please..._

He could feel his heart pounding hard, and his head was starting to spin. _Dammit...what the hell is wrong with me?_

"Hey, Ronnie? You okay?" Prussia suddenly asked, breaking Ronald out of his stupor.

The shinigami blinked, and quickly tried to get his mind back on track. No being weird. Now was time to be the cool reaper he wanted to impress William by being.

"Shit...I just realized I'm getting overtime today! _Fuck! _I _hate _overtime! Will is such a damn asshole..._why the fuck is my boss sitting right there?_" Ronald suddenly yelled, jumping back and hiding behind Prussia in terror.

Prussia just blinked.

"..._Was?"_

_"That's my boss! The one I've been talking about! The uptight douchebag with the great ass!"_

Beside Mr. Spears, a woman with long, brown hair with a flower pinned into it fell over laughing, while a boy with chin-length blonde hair and bright green eyes turned red.

"No, no, no. That over there is Austria. I mean, he _is _an un-awesome, uptight douchebag, but unfortunately, he lacks in the ass department."

That made the girl only laugh harder.

Ronald didn't catch the strange looks his doppelganger kept giving him.

But he did notice the strange sadness that filled him from his very core.

* * *

><p>"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSS!"<p>

"WIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLIAAAAAAM~~~?"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TWO WANT?" The shinigami snapped, his head turning so fast that Ronald was a little afraid that it would fall off.

"Boss, can I take tomorrow off?"

"No."

"It's job related, I promise!"

"No."

"Come on, William!" Grell added, wrapping one arm around Ronald's shoulder, and resting the other one comfortably on the blonde's ass. "He promises to be a good boy!"

"I SAID NO! NOW GET OUT!"

As he walked away, Ronald started to mutter.

"Dammit...next time, I'm voting for the party of the non-douches."

And then he paused.

"Voting?"

* * *

><p>AN

Next chapter will be a big four-thousand word fiesta.

Woohoo.

I ship RonXWill so hard, you don't even know.


End file.
